Nucleic acids are of central importance in living nature since they are the carriers and transmitters of genetic information. The increasing knowledge of basic molecular biological mechanisms in the last few years made it possible to conduct genetic engineering. This technology allows new possibilities for example in the fields of medical diagnostics and therapy as well as plant breeding.
The verification of nucleic acids and fragments of nucleic acids was and still is an important tool for the explanation of those relations and for the answer of the problems, namely concerning their specific identification as well as their specific sequence—their primary structure. Furthermore, a part of molecular biological work is the isolation of nucleic acid sequences, such as the purification and subsequent processing of selected nucleic acids.
The specific traceability of nucleic acids is based on the property of the molecules to build base pairs with other nucleic acids by the formation of hydrogen bonds—i.e. to hybridise. The analysis of genes or gene segments is currently based on DNA—chips. Those chips, arrays or DNA-microarrays are made up of a solid carrier (a glass object plate) on which single-stranded DNA-molecules with a known sequence are attached in a regular pattern. Those nucleic acid chips are either produced by                (i) direct synthesis on the solid carrier using masks and a photo lithographic procedure        (ii) or prefabricated and terminally functionalized samples of nucleic acids are chemically attached to activated surfaces by covalent bonds.        
The DNA analysis involves multiple steps:                (i) preparation of the sample (extraction, PCR etc.)        (ii) hybridisation on the chip        (iii) stringent washing        (iv) detection        (v) bio informatic analysis        
Both ways of producing DNA-chips are afflicted with numerous problems. The first method calls for the synthesis of the oligo-nucleotides directly on the carrier and includes a comprehensive amount of deprotection reactions and washing. This constitutes a complex method, especially when the array includes a multitude of different nucleic acid samples. In case of the second method for example the solid surface—usually a glass plate—must be activated with functional groups in a complicated manner. Only then it is possible to apply the likewise premade functionalised nucleic acids with a known sequence. This application (“spotting”) is also problematic and requires expensive and complicated equipment, so called “microarrayers”. What follows is a chemical reaction between the ready-made functionalised nucleic acids and the activated functional groups on the surface of the array in order to achieve a covalent bond between the array and the nucleic acid.
Today, the common method for the isolation of nucleic acids comprises the use of chaotropic compounds in combination with solid materials like silica, silica derivatives or magnetic particles. The disadvantage of these methods is a complex process for isolation with many steps of washing and centrifugation.
Furthermore, the isolation of mRNA using oligo-nucleotides requires a pretreatment of the solid materials either to allow a direct covalent bonding or an indirect coupling of the oligo-molecules with the solid materials.
Another alternative is the purification with the help of membranes.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a new, much easier and cheaper method for the analysis of nucleic acids which avoids the complicated chemical coupling reactions with the carrier material.
Another object of the present invention is the preparation of new compounds which can especially be used in procedures for the analysis of nucleic acids.